Facebook & Instagram Shops Just Got Way Better for Small Businesses
Back in May, Facebook announced the launch of Facebook Shops: a game-changing feature that enables brands to sell their products directly via Facebook and/or Instagram. In our post about the feature, we mentioned a few important developments set to be released in the future.
Well, the future is here! Last week, Facebook announced a few exciting updates to the Facebook and Instagram shopping experience. Here’s what’s new, and what it means for small business owners.
The Facebook Shop section
What’s happening: Back in July, a Shop tab was introduced to the Instagram interface, allowing users to browse products and offerings they could buy right from the app. Last week, a similar section was launched in the Facebook app as well. The feature is now being tested in the USA only.
What it means for you: This tab will make it easier for potential customers to find your products. People who voluntarily enter the shopping section are already looking for products to buy and are therefore further along the sales funnel than many people you might reach with a targeted ad.
New features for your Facebook Shop
What’s happening: Facebook added some new features to Facebook Shops. The new features include:
New design layouts that make it easier for you to highlight particular products in your Shop
The ability to preview your collections in real time as you design them
The ability to create a new Shop automatically if you’re just getting started as a seller on Facebook
A new analytics feature for measuring your results from the Commerce Manager
What it means for you: The first two new features make it easier to design a compelling virtual storefront that leads your customers to the products you most want them to see. The third makes it easier to set up your Shop if you don’t have one already, and the fourth makes it possible to gain powerful insights into your results, which can help you adjust your strategy down the line and increase your conversion rates.
Instagram Checkout
What’s happening: The in-app checkout option has been enabled in Instagram for all USA-based sellers. Previously, you could enable in-app checkout in your Facebook Shop. Now, you can do it for your Instagram Shop, too. And the best part? This service will be fee-free for businesses until the end of the year. Facebook made that gesture to help small businesses still dealing with the financial difficulties related to the pandemic.
Shopping on Instagram just got a whole lot easier. 🛍
Now all eligible US businesses and creators can use Checkout, which lets you buy and sell products directly on Instagram. You can also now shop during Lives in real time.
What it means for you: In-app checkout removes several barriers from the customer and allows for a much smoother, easier purchasing experience. It means they will be able to enter their credit card information just once, and complete all future purchases in just a few taps, with no need to fumble with a wallet or visit third-party sites. This translates to higher conversion rates for you. And the fact that there’s no fee until the end of the year is a major bonus!
Shops Messaging button
What’s happening: Facebook has added a messaging button to Shops that allows customers to contact the shop owner directly to ask questions. At the moment, customers can use this feature to contact you via Messenger or Instagram Direct, and Facebook is currently testing adding it to Whatsapp, too.
What it means for you: The messaging button is the virtual equivalent of having a salesperson there to help your customers and guide them through the selection and purchase process. So often, a customer will be interested in making a purchase but will be missing a crucial piece of information, and won’t want to bother figuring out how to contact you to ask. The messaging button makes it much easier for them to get the information they need to complete their purchase. So once again: say hello to higher conversion rates.
Live Shopping
What’s happening: It is now possible to use Facebook Live and Instagram Live to launch or feature a new product — and to sell that product to your customers directly from the Live feed!
What it means for you: This is an especially exciting feature for small businesses because it combines the convenience of the in-app shopping experience with the marketing power of livestream. Brands everywhere have found Facebook and Instagram Live an especially effective way to reach and engage with their audiences. Now, with Live Shopping, it will be easier than ever to convert your followers into paying customers. You can plan a Facebook Live or Instagram Live event that features a product — say, a tutorial, or a Live interview with a happy customer — and add a purchase button right to your viewers’ screens. It makes livestreaming more like a real-life event where people can attend, enjoy what you have to offer, and make a purchase on the spot.
Action items:
If you haven’t created your own Facebook and/or Instagram Shop yet — now is the time!
Check out the new design options in Facebook Shops and see if they can spruce up your collections.
Start tracking your Facebook Shop insights to learn more about your customers’ purchasing behavior.
Be sure to enable in-app checkout on Facebook and Instagram.
Plan a Facebook and/or Instagram Live event that features one of your products, and add the purchase option to the livestream!
By: Cori Widen, Product Marketing Lead at Boosted by Lightricks
So 2020 hasn’t quite been as great of a year as we all hoped it would be…but luckily we’re already halfway to 2021! After a rocky first half of 2020, it’s only natural to start planning for a better year to come.
If you’re looking for ways to grow your small business in 2021, a great place to start is with your social media platforms. As a small business owner, word of mouth and social media can be a powerful combination to grow your business.
So, if you haven’t focused much on your social media strategy with everything happening so far in 2020, here are 21 ideas to revamp your social media for 2021.
1. Automate Your Social Media
As a small business owner, you might feel like you don’t have enough time to spend on social media. But did you know there are ways to help automate your social media strategy? It can be a lot of work to create quality content for your social media accounts and even more work to edit, upload, write captions and publish your posts. Try using a social media scheduling tool to help you schedule out your content a few weeks in advance to automate posting to your social media.
2. Plan Out Your Content
If you plan on automating some of your content, you will need to plan out your posts ahead of time. On a day you where you are feeling creative, take a few hours to brainstorm ideas for social media content. Next, create a big batch of social media content all at once. Once you’ve created all of the content, you can plan out what you want to post when and then schedule the posts out.
3. Set Strategies Seasonally
We often plan out our traditional marketing strategies by the different seasons, so why not set specific seasonal goals and campaigns for your social media strategy? An easy way to get started with seasonal marketing themes is by selecting a new business goal or marketing theme for each new season. You can even give your social media accounts a different ‘look’ each season by changing up the color schemes of your posts. For example, some influencers and businesses post bright, happy colors in the summer but switch to posting slightly darker, moodier photos for fall and winter.
4. Evaluate New Platforms
Have you been keeping up to date with new trends in the world of social media? New and emerging platforms like TikTok are becoming increasingly popular for businesses of all sizes. If there are any new platforms or features that you haven’t tested out yet, now is the time to start analyzing which new platforms make sense for your business to join.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_5R8Deg14N/
5. Drop a Platform
While you are evaluating your social media platforms and thinking about trying out some new platforms, you might want to consider dropping a platform. If you’ve been posting consistently to a platform and are still seeing low engagement rates, it’s time to evaluate whether or not it’s worth your time to remain active on that platform. Check outWhy Your Small Businesses Should NOT Be on Every Social Media Platform for more insights.
6. Analyze Your Posts
It’s a good practice to regularly check the analytics of the posts and Stories that you’re sharing to social media. By reviewing the analytics for your posts, you can see which types of content are performing best – with higher engagement rates, views or link clicks. Once you’ve analyzed your posts, see if there’s a common theme among your best content to help you decide what type of posts you should create more of in 2021.
For Instagram, you can check out our guide here for navigating your Instagram Insights, as well as here for understanding your Stories analytics. Additionally, here is our guide for everything you need to know about TikTok analytics.
7. Update Your Bios
One of the quickest and easiest ways to revamp your social media accounts is to update all of your bios. It’s a good idea to review your bios and see if there’s any important updates that need to be made. Be sure to include a link to your website and make sure your bios are consistent across all of your social media platforms.
Do you keep tabs on what your competitors are doing? If you’ve never put together a competitive analysis on your competitors, you are missing out! This is a great chance to understand what they are doing well on social media and gain some ideas on where you could improve. Make a chart listing out their strengths and weaknesses. Then, come up with a plan of action to implement changes to your own social media strategy.
9. Research New Hashtags
Hopefully you are already taking advantage of hashtags in your social media strategy! But did you know it’s important to not use the same hashtags on every single post? One of the best ways to revamp and grow your social media in 2021 is by researching and testing out new hashtags. Create a list of new hashtags and keep track of which posts and hashtags perform best to help your Instagram posts perform better and to enable you to connect with new customers.
One of the great things about social media is the ability to connect and build a community. To help you grow your social media community even more in 2021, it’s a great idea to look for more ways to collaborate. Are there any like-minded small businesses you could partner with? For example, you could collaborate and host a social media giveaway for your followers. This is a great way to grow your following with customers who are likely to be interested.
Get inspired by this recent brand collab giveaway from @twobearscoffee:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCGT3x8BF–/
11. Be an Activist
If there’s anything we learned in 2020, it’s that today’s consumers want brands to be part of the current conversationa. If you aren’t already taking an active stance in movements that you are passionate about, it’s time to stand up in a meaningful and authentic way in 2021, like clothing brand @minimioche did here:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBEigo4AOPu/
12. Get Personal
Are you guilty of hiding behind your work as a service-based business owner? Or only featuring your physical products on your social media feeds? It’s time to get in front of the camera and get personal! Show your customers the face behind the business. Share more personal posts to help them get to know you better and feel more connected to your business on a personal level.
One of the most important types of content in 2021 might just be short-form videos. 2020 has already proven that consumers love engaging with short-form videos, so get ready to create more of this type of content to revamp your social media accounts!
Boosted is a great tool for creating short-form, high-quality video content for your social media platforms. Boosted has a built-in library of photos and videos that are already perfectly formatted for social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
If you’ve ever wanted to try out TikTok but weren’t ready to learn a whole new platform, Reels is a great way to begin posting more video content. The easiest way to start out testing Instagram Reels is by repurposing existing video content. It’s easy to upload a video (or several) from your photo gallery into Reels. Try uploading an existing video or an Instagram Story that you have saved to your phone as one of your first Reels.
Has it been a while since you’ve taken new photos for your small business? It’s time to up your photography game in 2021. You don’t have to be a professional photographer in order to shoot new content – all you need is a smartphone with a quality camera and a willingness to learn. Be sure to have good lighting and a clean background when taking photos. Also, be sure to check out some photo editing tools to give your photos a more professional look.
16. Organize Your Instagram Story Highlights
Have you ever taken the time to review your Instagram Story Highlights and reorganize them? Story Highlights are prime real estate on your Instagram profile so be sure to feature the most important and valuable content in your highlights. Need some ideas for what to post in your Instagram Story Highlights? Check out this blog post on How to Use Instagram Story Highlights Strategically as a Small Business Owner.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CD1sAUzhX_s/
17. Create Branded Story Highlight Icons
While we are talking about highlights…did you know you can customize the look and feel of your highlights too? This is an easy way to revamp your Instagram feed in 2021. You can easily create new icons to revamp your Instagram feed in 2021 with consistent, branded highlight cover images. Click here to learn how to create Instagram cover images.
18. Send More DM’s
Another social media marketing strategy that your small business should consider in 2021 is direct messaging. DMs can be a powerful way to connect with customers and influencers. The very first tip to getting more DMs is to actually start sending more DMs yourself! Send DM’s to some of your most loyal customers and local influencers. And be sure to make it sound personal (everybody knows when it’s automated). Once you’ve built up a relationship, you can send your customers exclusive sales through DMs or ask influencers if they would be interested in collaborating.
One of the most important rules when it comes to social media success is consistency. If you weren’t posting consistently on your social media feeds in 2020, it’s time to revamp your social media feeds with consistent content in 2021. If you want to see real results, you will need to post regularly. This will help your followers stay more engaged and ensures your content will continue to actually show up in your customer’s Instagram feeds.
Here are some additional insights on the topic from branding & web design studio @brightenmade:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CEUJa3YDCsu/
20. Create Paid Ads
It can be a challenge for small businesses to reach new audiences organically on social media. Investing in a little paid advertising can be a powerful way to revamp your social media in 2021. With Facebook and Instagram, your small business can target very specific audiences and help increase your exposure to the people who are most likely to be interested in what you have to offer.
21. Set Some BIG Goals
Last but not least, don’t be afraid to dream big. Have you ever sat down and thought about your goals for social media? If not, 2021 is the year to dream big when it comes to social media. Now that 2020 is halfway done, it’s time to start thinking about your social media ‘resolutions’. Once you know your goals and set a plan, you will know exactly what you are working towards.
Cori Widen is the Product Marketing Lead at Boosted by Lightricks. She has been leading product marketing campaigns and doing qualitative market research in the tech industry for 10 years.
8 Easy Ways to Get More Instagram DMs From Customers
By: Cori Widen, Product Marketing Lead at Boosted by Lightricks
One of the most powerful features on Instagram might not be what you’d expect…Instagram Direct Messages. Yup, DMs. There are so many reasons for a small business to love Instagram Direct Messages. Utilizing your DMs enables your small business to connect with your customers personally, helps build stronger connections, increases brand loyalty, humanizes your business and improves customer service.
In fact, according to Forbes, “49% of customers bought items they did not intend to buy due to a personalized recommendation from the brand they were doing business with.”
Small businesses, especially service-based businesses, can utilize Instagram DMs to gain more customers. So what can you do to encourage potential customers to start sending you more DMs? Here are 8 easy tactics for receiving more Instagram DMs from prospective customers.
1. Send DMs
The very first tip to getting more DMs from your customers is to actually start sending more DMs yourself! Get used to how Instagram direct messaging works and try to send out a few brand-building DMs every day to help spark conversations with potential customers.
2. Respond to DMs
If your customers have sent you an Instagram DM in the past and never got a response, why would they send another? Something as simple as a “Hey, thanks for your feedback!” to acknowledge that you saw their message could prompt further dialogue.
3. Say Hi to New Followers
Make new followers feel appreciated right from the start! Send them a new message thanking them for following. Be sure to personalize the message with their first name and be authentic. Nowadays, people can spot automated messages right away.
4. Offer a Deal
There are so many ways your brand can offer great deals exclusively to your Instagram followers. Post to your social media accounts that you are hosting a special sale and that your audience should send you an Instagram DM for the discount code. Alternatively, you can create a group of 15 people to send a private group DM message with a VIP promo code.
5. Use the DM Sticker for Stories
Instagram recently introduced a new DM Me sticker. When you place a DM Me sticker in a Story, your followers can tap it and type a message that is then sent straight to your DMs. This is an effective and direct way to boost both your Story engagement & volume of DMs.
Posting frequently to your Instagram Stories in general is another great way to increase DMs. Not sure what to share to Stories? You can gain access to great stock photos/videos and easily create high-quality marketing videos with the Boosted app.
6. Ask a Question / Polls
Ask your customers a question! You can do this either within the description of your feed post or by using the question sticker for Stories. Ask for a recommendation or what their favorite product of yours is. If you don’t receive a lot of engagement right away, try offering a small incentive, such as a discount code for whoever comments on your post or responds to your Story.
7. Check Up On Loyal Followers
Show your fans that you appreciate them. Reach out to some of your most loyal followers – thanking them for their support, asking them how they are doing and of course, offering an exclusive deal once in a while never hurts.
8. Host a Contest
Reward your most active and engaged followers on Instagram! Host a contest and offer the first 10 people (or whatever number you’re comfortable with) to send you an Instagram DM for the chance to win a small prize. Check out our guide to running successful Instagram giveaways here.
Pro tip: as of April 2020, Instagram made it possible to manage your direct messages via desktop computers & web browsers! DMs for desktop can be a huge timesaver for your business. If you previously spent a ton of time on your phone typing out DMs, now you can engage with your customers & audience much more efficiently (think: laptop keyboard instead of iPhone keyboard).
Cori Widen is the Product Marketing Lead at Boosted by Lightricks. She has been leading product marketing campaigns and doing qualitative market research in the tech industry for 10 years.
13 Autumn Instagram Content Ideas for Small Businesses
Summer is coming to a close, and it’s time to start planning your social media calendar for the next season!
Seeking some autumn content ideas? From foliage and pumpkins to back to school season and beyond, fall offers a ton of fresh seasonal content you can create for your brand.
Here are 13 Instagram content ideas to give you some autumn inspiration.
1. Sprinkle everything with fall imagery
No matter what you post, you can’t go wrong with some classic autumn-related imagery. Here are some elements you can include in your fall-themed posts:
The colors orange, red, yellow, and brown
Leaves and foliage
Woody textures
Warm drinks: apple cider, pumpkin spice lattes, hot chocolate
Fireplaces
Sweaters and jackets
Sunsets
Rain and umbrellas
Apples
Pumpkins
Spices (cloves, cinnamon sticks, etc.)
Books
A cozy, warm atmosphere
You can use these elements for inspiration when coming up with inspiration for all the content ideas below.
2. Run a special sale or promotion for fall
It’s very common for businesses to hold special sales for fall: Labor Day sales, back-to-school sales, or just something celebrating the new season. Be sure to promote your sale both in your Feed and in your Stories.
For example, Garden Architecture & Design (@gardenarchitecture), a furniture store in California, made a video showing off its wares and offering a 20% discount on “all those incredible pieces you’ve been stalking all summer”:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CEMgdD_lb3J/
3. Highlight a fall-related product
Have you made some leaf-themed product lately? Does your farm, restaurant, or other food service offer any special fall items? Feature them in a Feed post or Story, and don’t forget to use plenty of fall hashtags: #autumn, #autumnvibes, etc.
Check out these adorable fall leaf earrings from @ewi.macrame:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3UtdViHGSY/
4. Recommend your favorite fall read
Fall is a great time to curl up with a cozy book to read. Show your followers what you’re reading, or what you like to read during the fall. It could be related to your field, or just something you enjoy. You can combine this with a request for book recommendations!
5. Share a fall-related quote
Create a graphic with a quote that has something to do with autumn. You can find lots of lists of fall-related quotes online, such as this one. See if you can find footage or images that match the quote — for example, if you select “You’re never too old to play in the leaves,” find a picture of a kid (or adult!) playing in fall leaves. Even better, find a pile of leaves and have someone photograph you playing in them!
Artist and author Dani DiPirro (@positivelypresent) created this beautiful image with a fall quote from Rumi:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CEJ_SDWhD4c/
6. Ask a question about fall
Asking questions is a great way to create engagement. You can create a Feed post and encourage people to answer in the comments, or use a Question or Poll sticker in a Story.
Some ideas for questions to ask:
What’s your favorite thing about fall?
Pumpkin spice lattes: yea or nay?
What’s your favorite movie/book to curl up with in the fall?
What do you like to do when it’s raining?
Which do you prefer: sweaters or jackets?
7. Create a fall-related tutorial
Now’s the time for fall recipes: apple pie, pumpkin spice anything, stews and slow-cooked dinners with lots of root vegetables, etc. It’s also back-to-school time, so you can create a tutorial for a school-related craft: pencil cases, gifts for teachers… or, given it’s 2020, maybe a kid-sized cloth mask or a cute pouch for carrying hand sanitizer. Click here to read our post on creating a tutorial using Instagram Stories.
For example, artist Anastasia-berry (@anastasiadeg) created this tutorial for coloring a fall leaf:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B255YA1oc_i/
8. Back-to-school post
Try to find an angle your target audience will relate to. For instance, if your target audience is moms who may be relieved to be sending their kids back to school, you can base a video on this template from Boosted:
Maybe combine that with a special offer. For example, if you’re a massage therapist, offer a discounted massage for moms! Boosted video templates are extremely versatile, and you can use them to create both Feed videos and Stories.
If you’re targeting college-age students, you may want to focus more on things like tips for organizing a dorm room, quick and easy recipes, or tips for maintaining focus during their studies.
9. Document local fall scenery
If you live somewhere with beautiful fall foliage, get out that smartphone camera and take some great photos! You can post the images as they are, or use them as background for any of the more text-based ideas in this post.
You can also take a walk downtown and take photos of other types of fall scenery: window displays, people drinking apple cider at a local cafe, etc. This is an especially good idea if your business targets a local audience. Click here to read more ideas for targeting a local audience on Instagram.
Check out this stunning winning post from a photo contest by Timberline Adventures (@ziptimberline) last year:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B38grM-HaFT/
11. Give fall-related tips from your niche
If you’re in the beauty or fashion industry, you can talk about looks that are hot for this fall and how to achieve them. If you’re in the food industry, give some tips for working with seasonal ingredients, like apples, pumpkins, and spices. Photographer? Give some tips for capturing fall scenery.
You can create a graphic featuring the tip as text, or use the graphic to introduce the idea and elaborate in the caption. You could also make a video of yourself explaining your tips and post it on your Feed or using IGTV.
This post from The Ayurvedic Institute (@theayurvedicinstitute) features some tips for maintaining your health in the fall:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B211FJkgzuT/
12. Decorate your workspace with fall-themed items
This doesn’t have to take much: some leaves, a steaming mug, a book, and a warm photo filter could do the trick. If you’re working on something that has to do with fall, consider creating a behind-the-scenes video or carousel post.
Heather of Heather House Interiors (@heatherhouseinteriors) posted this photo of the fall-decorated entrance to her home:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CEMihFwJv1h/
13. Hold a little fall event
In other times, we might recommend holding a real-life fall party or event, but the pandemic-related restrictions may make that tricky this year. Instead, organize a little fall outing or event for your staff (or for yourself, if that’s your full staff!) and be sure to document it well. Some ideas:
A hike in the woods
Go apple or pumpkin picking
Visit a local farm or farmer’s market
Make apple cider or apple pie together
Post plenty of photos and videos in your Stories (and save one or two favorites for your feed).
Action Items:
Go over this list and jot down ideas that spark your imagination.
Get out your calendar and pencil in a schedule for fall-related posts and promotions for your Instagram feed.
Be sure to leave plenty of time for content ideas that may require some prep work.
Does your social media strategy include video marketing? If not, your small business should get started with video ASAP! Videos are on the rise in 2021 – with the average person spending 100 minutes EVERY DAY watching videos online. People are also looking for more video content from their favorite brands –66% of people said they would actually prefer to watch a video about a product instead of reading about it.
We know consumers love video content and are spending tons of time consuming videos, but is it really worth it for your small business to start creating videos for social media? Definitely. In fact, 88% of marketers have said video marketing resulted in positive ROI.
If you’re thinking, “video is just too hard and time-consuming to create for my small business!” you may have been right a few years back, but things have changed! Now, you can easily create stunning videos in 3 minutes or less with beautiful, ready-to-go templates from Boosted. Plus, with access to Getty stock photos and videos and easy to customize fonts and colors, it’s never been simpler for small businesses to begin posting videos that will instantly elevate their social media accounts.
So what types of video should you be creating? Here are 7 creative ways for small businesses to use video on social media:
1. Customer Testimonials
Get your customers involved in your videos! Ask a few of your biggest fans to send you a short video about why they love your small business and create a video featuring their testimonials to share to your social accounts.
Here’s some IGTV inspiration from Australian-based real estate brand @watt_realty:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CDa68knHi6_/
2. Celebrate Fun Holidays
Who doesn’t love all of the just-for-fun holidays that are out there? Check out this site to see all of the engaging, and sometimes out-of-the-box holidays that are coming up in 2021. Pick out a few relevant holidays to celebrate on social media and create a video for each occasion.
Boosted even has a few templates ready to go, from Mother’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day to National Dog Day:
3. Video Introduction
It’s great to re-introduce yourself on social media every once in a while, but just writing a long caption about yourself isn’t very engaging for your customers. If your social media accounts have recently grown and you haven’t introduced yourself to your new followers yet, create a video to tell them more about yourself! Not only will this be an easy video to create, but video content shows off more of your personality than a photo ever could.
Here’s a great way to re-introduce yourself on TikTok (video and sound by small biz @tasselamor):
If you’d like to recreate this video for your brand, simply check out the sound here and then select ‘use this sound’ to create your own content.
4. Motivational Monday
Inspirational quotes are already super popular on social media – why not test out a video with some motivational quotes? You can search for quotes easily online (be sure to always give proper credit to the original author of the quote!) Then, check out the Boosted app to find inspiring ways to bring the motivational quote to life, like this template achieves:
5. Q&A Vlog
We already know videos are engaging and personable, which is why we love the idea of asking your customers what questions they have for you and then creating a vlog-style video to answer all of their questions.
Have a virtual class or event coming up? Tell your followers everything they’ll need to know about it, in a video! Be sure to include: the value that they’ll gain by attending, where and when the event is taking place, as well as how they can participate or sign up.
Pilates Teacher @meno_pausing recently shared a video (created with Boosted!) to let her audience know about her upcoming virtual classes:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CDLLm5MMKMQ/
7. Photo Compilation
Don’t have any video content yet? Compile a few of your favorite videos to create a GIF-style video! Be sure to add fun music, pops of color and interesting fonts to help the video look more dynamic. And no worries if you don’t have many photos, you can access a huge Getty stock image library on the Boosted app.
Check out our other video marketing blogs for further inspiration and guidance:
TikTok’s Back-to-Business Program: Everything Small Business Owners Need to Know
Last month, TikTok launched an initiative aimed at giving a hand to a sector that’s been especially hard-hit by the recent economic crisis: small and medium-sized businesses.
The initiative, called Back-to-Business, involves setting aside $100 million in ad credits to give out to owners of these businesses — for free.
TikTok ads are relatively new, and relatively expensive. They can charge more because there is less competition, which means that an ad on TikTok can go a lot farther than an ad on a more saturated social media platform.
Still, many small businesses have been wary of making that investment. This makes Back-to-Business an especially excellent opportunity for small businesses to give TikTok ads a try and tap into the power of TikTok to grow their brands risk-free. As a related aside, check out our guide on how to get verified on TikTok.
Here’s how it works:
Who is eligible for Back-to-Business?
Small and medium-sized businesses that are registered in the following countries can apply:
The United States
The United Kingdom
Italy
France
Spain
India
Australia
Russia
Israel
South Korea
Saudi Arabia
The United Arab Emirates
Egypt
Turkey
Thailand
Malaysia
Indonesia
Vietnam
Japan
You will need to submit documentation, such as your business ID, the legal name of your business, your company phone number, the name of your legal representative and (if relevant) your business license. TikTok will review these materials and determine whether your business meets their criteria.
Do I need to have an existing TikTok account to apply?
You can apply as a new TikTok user — no need to have a pre-existing account. Registering for a TikTok account will be part of the application process if you are a new user.
How much money in ad credits will I get?
Once you are verified, you’ll be able to claim $300 USD (or the equivalent in your local currency) in ad credit. You’ll also be able to “top up” your credit by investing additional funds that are matched 1-to-1 by TikTok — up to $2000. That means that you get $300 free ad credit, plus a matching amount of whatever additional money you invest.
So if, for example, you decide to top up your credit by investing an additional $1000, you’ll have a total of $2,300 in ad credit ($300+the $1k you invested+the $1k TikTok matched to your investment) — and $1,300 of it will be free.
So if you have $2k to invest, you could receive as much as $2,300 in free credit!
How far will this free credit get me?
TikTok ad costs start at around $10 CPM (cost per impression), but you have to make a minimum investment of at least $50 for an ad group or $500 for a campaign. Businesses may spend as much as $50k–$150k on TikTok advertising altogether.
So your initial $300 may not get you that far. But it will at least give you a taste of how this strategy works for your business.
Keep in mind, though, that if you take the $300 credit and try only the least expensive options for TikTok ads, the results may not accurately reflect the results you’d get with a more costly campaign. It may be worth investing a few hundred dollars to top up your credit and get a more complete picture of your ROI.
Is it worth it to apply for TikTok’s Back-to-Business program?
Given that applying for the program requires no investment beyond a few minutes of your time, there seems to be little reason not to — especially if you’re already a TikTok user. If you’re new to TikTok, check out our previous post, How to Use TikTok for Business, to learn more about the advantages of TikTok as a platform for promoting your brand.
It could be that TikTok isn’t the best match for your brand for whatever reason. Maybe the younger, more casual vibe doesn’t quite jive with your target audience, and you already have a respectable following on other social media platforms. Even so, it can’t hurt to give TikTok a try and see how it goes. We’re talking zero risk here, after all!
How do I apply?
To apply for your free ad credit, visit the Back-to-Business section of TikTok For Business and click “Get Started.” If you’re a new user, you’ll need to register for a TikTok account first. Then, you’ll be asked to submit documentation that will help TikTok verify your business. This process usually takes just a few days.
Once you’ve been verified, you’ll be able to claim your $300, and then choose whether to top up your credit.
How do I create a good TikTok ad at minimal investment?
If you’re going to give TikTok ads a try, you might as well make sure you have a great ad to put out! TikTok is all about the short, punchy video, and Boosted can help you craft an ad that will really stand out. With a huge collection of on-trend, top-quality templates optimized for engagement, and great customization options including filters, colors, music, and more, you can put together a fantastic TikTok ad for your business in just a few minutes.
The Small Business Owner’s Guide to Instagram Reels
What is Instagram Reels?
By: Cori Widen, Product Marketing Lead at Boosted by Lightricks
Now that you’ve mastered Instagram Stories, it’s time to learn about Instagram’s latest feature, Reels. Instagram Reels is a new feature that offers users a new way to record, post and view 15-second videos. The success of TikTok has proven that people love short-form, edited video clips – and now users will have the ability to create and post even more video content on Instagram.
The Instagram Reels features are similar to TikTok – users can easily record video clips, edit them together and set the clips to audio. Once created, Instagram users can share them to their Stories, Explore Feed and the new Reels tab.
For private accounts, the short-form videos can be shared with friends and followers while public accounts can be discovered by anyone on Instagram. Instagram will place Reels from public accounts on the Explore page which will help users increase their reach. When Reels are shared using certain hashtags, audio or effects, they may appear on dedicated pages when someone clicks on that hashtag, audio or effect.
Instagram Reels is still a new feature currently being tested and might not be available to everyone. If you aren’t seeing it on your Instagram yet, keep an eye out for this new feature that might pop up soon!
Hellooooo, Reels 🙌
Introducing a new way to create and discover short, entertaining videos on Instagram.
Reels is rolling out today to more than 50 countries around the world.
Even if you don’t have the ability to use the Instagram Reels feature yet, small businesses should definitely know all about this new feature. Because users can share their Reels on their Instagram feed or to a new section on the Explore page, accounts of all sizes have a unique opportunity to ‘go viral’.
The Explore page is already used by 50% of people on Instagram each month, and now with a dedicated space just for Reels, small businesses who are creating Reels content will be able to reach new customers and potentially go viral.
Instagram will be giving extra attention to accounts that are early adopters to Instagram Reels, so it’s a good idea for your small business to start testing out this feature now while there’s still not much competition.
How to Use Instagram Reels to Grow Your Small Business
To access the new Reels feature, open Instagram as if you are about to create an Instagram Story. There, you will see the new section with all of the Instagram Reels features. Reels can be recorded as a series of clips or one 15-second video. In the Instagram Reels tools, you can also easily apply Instagram special effects and set your video clip to audio.
Here are 7 tips for getting your small business started with Reels:
1. Brainstorm content ideas
Instagram Reels is meant to be a fun, new way for you to engage with your followers. While you are brainstorming a few ideas for content, think about what type of content your current and new customers would enjoy viewing.
2. Test out features
Once you’ve found Reels within Instagram, it’s very easy to begin testing out all of the new tools. Users can use special AR effects created by Instagram and creators around the world for Reels, similar to Instagram Stories. Reels also allow you to change the speed, edit together multiple video clips, set a timer and add audio to create truly custom video content.
3. Upload existing content
A great way to start out testing Instagram Reels is by repurposing existing video content. It’s easy to upload a video (or several) from your photo gallery into Reels. Try uploading an existing TikTok video or an Instagram Story that you have saved to your phone as one of your first Reels.
4. Use stock videos
If you don’t already have your own video footage, you can use the Boosted app to easily create high-quality video content for Instagram Reels. Boosted has a built-in library of photos and stunning videos that are already perfectly formatted for social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
5. Film new content
Have something fun you want to share? Now is the perfect time to film a brand new video within the Instagram app! If you’ve filmed on TikTok before, you will be familiar with Reels’ ability to start and stop recording to film a series of clips.
6. Select audio
Once you have the video content ready, you will want to add audio. Audio can be your own original audio clip or you can choose from a library of music within the Instagram app. Instagram has a huge library of great music available to choose from.
7. Attract new customers
Instagram Reels are posted to the Explore Page, which presents a great opportunity for small businesses to be discovered by users who aren’t already following their business. When creating a Reel, focus on creating video content that would help your small business attract new customers.
Cori Widen is the Product Marketing Lead at Boosted by Lightricks. She has been leading product marketing campaigns and doing qualitative market research in the tech industry for 10 years.
How Many Times a Day Should You Post to Instagram Stories?
A general rule of thumb you may have heard regarding social media for small businesses is to post at least once a day and no more than three times a day on a given platform. But there are exceptions — and Instagram Stories is one of them.
On most social media feeds, it’s considered rude and spammy to post many times a day because your followers will have to scroll through everything you post to get to the other stuff they might want to see. Posting too often is a surefire way to get yourself unfollowed. But Instagram Stories is, if you’ll pardon the expression, a whole other story: your Stories are all located in one specific section of the feed that is easy to skip over if your followers aren’t interested in seeing everything you have there.
However — and this is a big “however” — just because you can post 100 Stories a day doesn’t mean you should.
While there’s no set formula for calculating the exact numbers of stories you should post per day, taking the following points into consideration will help you find the right rhythm and frequency for your business that will draw your followers in rather than drive them away.
1. Only post content that adds value
Each Story you add to your feed should be of value and interest to your target audience.
It doesn’t necessarily have to be on-brand 100% of the time — sometimes deviating a bit from your usual content is refreshing, especially if you’re doing so to share something personal. But you should still be sure to stick to engaging content that will help your followers get to know you and provide them with information they will appreciate. Don’t post just for the sake of posting.
2. Avoid being spammy and over-promotional
Social media is meant to be a platform for engaging with people and building personal connections. Using it only for advertising undermines that goal, and creates a sense of distance between you and your followers. You can certainly create posts that are pure advertisement, but these should be tucked in between other posts that add value for your followers: inspiration, useful information, and entertainment.
The same is true for your Stories feed. If every time someone clicks on your profile photo on the Story feed, they see another advertisement, they’re going to click past very quickly and may end up unfollowing you.
3. Spice up your Stories
Even if you’re posting the right kind of content, you’re competing with a whole feed for your followers’ attention. If you want to keep their interest, you need to make your Stories stand out.
One easy way to take your Stories up a level is to use Boosted to turn your plain images or footage into standout videos with cool animations, effects, and music. By using the templates in the app, you can also create a series of slides that complement each other and flow nicely in sequence.
Here’s a recent Story from @boosted_social that included a Boosted template:
Be sure to add relevant stickers, too — especially interactive stickers such as polls, questions, and emoji sliders.
4. Use Story analytics as a guide
The best litmus test for how often to post Stories is to look at what actually happens in real time — that is, to keep tabs on your Story analytics within Instagram Insights.
Your analytics will tell you how your Stories are performing and how well they’re holding your followers’ interest. If you notice that followers consistently drop off after 5-6 slides, for example, that may mean you’ve found the upper limit of their attention span. But it also might mean that the last few slides weren’t engaging enough, so it’s important to pay attention to the actual content they’re reacting to and not just the numbers. Trial and error can go a long way here when you’re keeping a close eye on the numbers.
When it comes to Instagram Stories, there’s nothing as valuable as consistency. Strive to show up on Stories daily, with at least 3-4 frames posted in a 24 hour period. Sharing Stories daily is much better than the sporadic Story with 10 frames.
The truth is though, that the right amount of Stories per day depends on many different factors: your industry, your particular audience, and the kind of content you’re putting out. Create a Story strategy that’s customized for you & your business. Be realistic about the time & resources you have available to create content.
Also, while you’re in pursuit of the ideal Instagram Story quantity, don’t lose sight of the quality of your content. There’s no replacement for high-quality, engaging content that makes your followers want to see more from you. For endless Story content inspiration, check out50 Engaging Instagram Story Ideas for Your Brand.
Action Items:
Try using Boosted to make your Stories more engaging.
If you haven’t already, familiarize yourself with Instagram Insights and particularly the Story analytics section.
Experiment with your Story-posting frequency — but be sure to post only Stories that are relevant and valuable to your audience.
Track your analytics carefully and notice any patterns that emerge from the data that may indicate an ideal number of Stories to post per day.
How to Use Twitch Live Streaming for Your Small Business
There’s no denying that having a close connection with your customers is important for business. Digital technology is just one way that brands are brought closer together with customers. Knowing how to leverage these technologies is an invaluable skill in 2020.
As a small business owner, it is imperative to find ways of staying in touch with customers – especially throughout this period of social distancing.
Live streaming has grown in popularity in recent years, bringing a crucial human touch to digital business interactions. Twitch is a live streaming platform that should be on your radar as a small business owner. Here’s everything you need to know about the tool.
What is Twitch and should you use it for your business?
Twitch has been around for nearly a decade now, with an impressive 35 million unique visitors a month. Impressively, it is the world’s leading live streaming platform. The main focus of Twitch is gamers and all things gaming – it provides a platform for them to meet and engage.
Before you sign up and join the Twitch party, it’s important to know a little about its consumer base. First of all, the platform is male-heavy (at least 80 percent of its users), with a mostly young audience.
If you’re a software or gaming brand, it may bring you great value. That’s not all – if your business is relevant to young males who like gaming, this is the platform for you.
Twitch also has its fair share of influencers – 25,000 to be exact – who work to promote games, brands, and more with their signature endorsements.
Why live streaming?
Live streaming has grown in popularity in recent years. With more people working from home than ever before, it’s likely that live streaming will become an even more popular tool to bring people together.
Live streaming is already a built-in tool on social sites like Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Live streaming on Twitch functions pretty similarly.
In just a few clicks you can share live stories with your audiences, giving them a glimpse into your world. This can be achieved on your phone, game console or desktop.
How live streaming can help your business
Here are a few ways live streaming can help grow your business. Live streaming…
Showcases your brand in a new and exciting way to customers. If you’re in the gaming world, Twitch is particularly useful for sharing hacks, insights and unique features.
Helps to grow your following– fans will connect with brands whose content they enjoy watching.
Gives a face to your business and makes you more approachable.
Offers something personal and unique to fans, which in turn grows brand loyalty.
Increase sales– When used correctly to showcase your business, live streaming can help you sell your product / service.
Going Live
Once you know what you want to say, the next thing to consider is timing. Keep an eye on engagement and use analytical tools to understand when your audience is most likely to be online. This will help you cast your net as far as possible.
Twitch tracker is a handy tool that will provide you with insights as to when your audience is online.
You can access live stream at any time, on any device that has live streaming abilities. From your Twitch account, go on the top right of the screen and choose ‘Channels and videos’ and you will find an option that you can stream from.
This includes; PS4, Xbox One, and PCs that have a built-in web camera.
Content ideas
So you’re set up on Twitch and ready to go live…now what? Well, like any other social strategy, you need to think about how you’re going to add value to your users with unique content. Here are a few ideas:
Share something you are passionate about. This might be inside information, a gaming hack or something that connects you with your audience.
Behind the scenes content. There’s nothing more that fans love than feeling like they are invited into your world. Business owners can bring customers closer by giving them exclusive insider content.
Storytelling. Do you have a new product release, a new feature to share or a new launch to announce? Whenever you’ve got a story to share, use Twitch live streaming to tell it. Looking for inspiration? Just take a look at tech announcements from Apple, they are the perfect example of sharing their news with the world in a personal way.
Plug in to creator camp. This is a tool from Twitch to help businesses make the most of their Twitch accounts and create great content for their viewers. It covers everything from viewer retention to personal branding.
Build your brand. Use the platform to share your brand’s personality and stories. This is a way to make lifelong connections with customers.
Growing your audience
You’ll want to put effort into growing and retaining your audience. Networking plays an important part in this, so use all your social networks to drive viewers to your Twitch profile.
This is a two-way experience – you will need to set aside time regularly to engage with your audience, inviting them into your world by live streaming.
Initially, it takes a lot of hard work, but once you’ve broken through, you’ll find that your fans will continually grow.
Final thoughts
While live streaming is popular across many social platforms, Twitch brings a unique gaming angle to the scene. If you’re a small business connected with gaming, or you have a largely male audience, now’s the time to build up your account!
Ultimately, live streaming will work best when you engage fully with your audience, share unique content with them, and connect with them on a personal level.
